Louise02 Posted August 17 Share Posted August 17 I don't want to start WW3, but I would love some feedback on minimum size for a betta tank, as well as the space left (after plants) for swimming. I currently have only one betta. He is in a five-gallon that was carefully created to be optimal for a betta. I had a female in there before. It went really well, but I thought that a healthier female might want more room. I opted for a betta that would need the slow flow and fin-friendly environment. This dumbo-ear, half-moon male is wonderful, but, in spite of his long finnage and difficulty swimming, he really gets around! I thought that I had built the perfect betta environment, as long as it was not for a faster swimmer, like a betta splendid. Now I am worried that he should really be in a 10-gallon. I have bettas that had slightly different temperaments. Some of them really liked squeezing between merino moss balls and getting into tight but safe spots. This guy is so social- I love him. He is eating off my finger already. But he is up swimming...interacting...going. How do I figure out if he would be happier in a 10-gallon? It would take a long time and a ton of money to get a new tank fully planted and flourishing like this tank. It took a few years to get this anubias that he sleeps on to grow up to the water line. I would be happy to start a 10-gallon for him. I just don't know which would be better. Help? And if I do move him, how do I find a betta that is suited for this tank? Maybe pull out the betta logs, anubias, mirimo moss balls, banana plant, etc., and just put something else in here? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricksonAquatics Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 Everyone has their own opinions, and it’s basically just a giant experiment for what works best for you. I have my betta in a 10g, and I agree - he really gets around. In his old age he spends less time moving around and more time hanging out in the floating plants and resting on Anubias and Amazon sword leaves. I sometimes wonder if senior bettas are almost happier in a smaller tank because it’s less effort to get to the top and they don’t utilize as much of the tank in their old age. I don’t intend to ever move my betta though - he started in that 10g and I want him to live out his golden years in it. Anyways, many many people keep bettas in 5g tanks, so I really don’t think it’s an issue. If you keep them at a nice temperature and clean water with plenty of live plants and hiding places, I think that is better at the end of the day than a bigger tank with less ideal conditions. If you’re guy seems happy, don’t worry so much 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise02 Posted August 18 Author Share Posted August 18 On 8/17/2024 at 8:07 PM, EricksonAquatics said: Everyone has their own opinions, and it’s basically just a giant experiment for what works best for you. I have my betta in a 10g, and I agree - he really gets around. In his old age he spends less time moving around and more time hanging out in the floating plants and resting on Anubias and Amazon sword leaves. I sometimes wonder if senior bettas are almost happier in a smaller tank because it’s less effort to get to the top and they don’t utilize as much of the tank in their old age. I don’t intend to ever move my betta though - he started in that 10g and I want him to live out his golden years in it. Anyways, many many people keep bettas in 5g tanks, so I really don’t think it’s an issue. If you keep them at a nice temperature and clean water with plenty of live plants and hiding places, I think that is better at the end of the day than a bigger tank with less ideal conditions. If you’re guy seems happy, don’t worry so much 🙂 Thank you very much! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony s Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 On 8/17/2024 at 10:07 PM, EricksonAquatics said: Everyone has their own opinions, and it’s basically just a giant experiment for what works best for you @Louise02 it’s really up to you. Do what feels comfortable for your fish. We have bettas in 5g. A 10g. A 15g. And a 20g. Some of these are going back in 5 gallon tanks. But we got some more bettas at aquashella and their tanks are not quite ready yet. But every betta is happy and doing great with their tank mates, so maybe they just stay put. 😁 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 I currently have a female in 160 liter~40g and one plakat male in 125 liter~33g tanks. Both are living their life To be fair big tanks are usually cool but for normal bettas. And ofcourse “big” needs clarification here as super tall tanks and such may not be ideal, or big tanks may come with hogh flow to turn it over sometimes, etc. Personal opinion, it is always a good idea to avoid to get and support long fin variants IMO. I also got me acouple halfmoons in the past, Im not judging you they indeed look beautiful! In fact my fav betta ever was both a halfmoon and dragon (and both genes are problematic!) but I hesitate to do so now. They really have a bad quality of life. Like really. Its like a human cant walk or move in a balanced way just because he would look beautiful when they have huge arms and super long legs. Ive been dying to get me a crowntail lately but I stopped myself and didnt get any. Again, Im not judging why you got one, I also had a couple in the past, but Im trying to explain why a certain opinion to generalise bettas care cant be appropriate in general because many fancy looks dont even look like an actual betta. But in my experience shallow tanks are good for them all. For a longfin betta like yours I used to have slightly planted tanks with no obstacles and shallow tanks with the dimensions of 50x40x25cm/50 liter custom made. I know you guys commonly buy petstore tanks there, Im not sure if you can source shallow tanks from a store easily? A betta would be happier in a bigger tank but its not naturally meant to deal with such long fins and struggle to swim, so in this specific case, Im not sure if bigger is a better idea for such fins. I vote for the shallow tank if you have the option to get any, if not, 10g sounds better than a 5 so you can use plants and such to design in a more free space and without creating obstacles for it to swim through 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennie Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 Also lets be real, under any case, your betta is lucky to have you. You are caring, searching for an answer, trying to do your best for your little friend. Many of these guys dont ever make it until they a good home in their life, or end up forever in a 1 liter bowl 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicSunfish Posted August 18 Share Posted August 18 My personal minimum is 10g. Bettas and other small fish come from shallow puddles or streams, which have less volume than lakes or rivers, but still have space to explore. To me, a 10g approximates some of these small environments. The fish still have some room to move and forage, and can find things to do. Also, the larger the tank, the less its temperature tends to fluctuate, which is better for the fish. If you can afford to upgrade to a 10g, and if you have the space, I say go for it. And if you’re feeling really adventuresome, put your betta in a 20-Long with a few other community fish. Then you’ll really see some cool behaviors. 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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